A Study of Inter-Ethnic Political Integration in Multi-ethnic States

About Zhou Ping

The nation-state has been the basic form of statehood since modern times and the basic unit of todays world system. In multi-ethnic states many different ethnic groups co-exist as historical and cultural communities that seek both to safeguard their own interests and integrity and to cooperate with one another in order to build unity and stability of the multi-ethnic state itself. Inter-ethnic political integration has become an increasingly important issue facing multi-ethnic states. This book considers the manifold significance of such a process and closely examines how different multi-ethnic states around the world have tried to achieve their integration objectives by adopting different policy mechanisms political models and underlying normative commitments. The author also discusses such important theoretical and practical issues as the role played by political parties and the rights and obligations of ethnic minorities.